3 Takeaways from Team Sweden’s 4-3 loss to Finland
That sting.
Team Sweden seemed to be well on their way to victory on Sunday morning after jumping out to a leading lead against rival Finland in their third match in the 2022 Olympics, but a disastrous third period was too much to overcome, and the Swedes eventually fell 4-3 in overtime.
Related: 2022 guide to the men’s olympic tournament
Still, the news was not bad for Team Sweden, who still did enough in the preliminary game to secure a place in the tournament’s quarterfinals, securing the fourth overall seed behind ROC (3), Finland (2) and Team USA (1).
Here is what we learned from Sweden’s 4-3 loss to Team Finland.
Special teams were the key once again
The match was stalemate 0-0 after the first period, and Team Sweden took advantage of their opportunities with the maneuver in the second, with three powerplay goals to a 3-0 lead in the middle. The goals, scored by Lucas Wallmark, Lukas Bengtsson and Anton Lander, seemed to give the Swedes all the momentum, especially considering a huge advantage in shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg was not very busy, but remained effective for two periods, and it seemed that Team Sweden was well on its way to getting to Group C.
Not so fast.
Team Finland made a furious comeback in the third and scored two powerplay goals in the last picture. The real belly happened during the last five minutes of the match, when the Finns scored two goals to equalize. It only took two minutes of 3-on-3 overtime to figure out the match winner, courtesy of Harri Pesonen.
Sweden ended the match with a 30-27 edge in shots on goal, but it was not enough to go out with a victory.
Team Sweden needs to work on closing games
The Swedes’ lack of discipline came back and haunted them in the last picture, but it was actually the second time this tournament they suffered a collapse at the end of the match, as their initial matchup against Latvia was eerily similar. In that match, Team Sweden rushed out to another 3-0 lead before finally holding on to win 3-2, in a match that was much closer than many predicted.
The lessons for the Swedes were much of the same on Sunday, after their 3-0 lead evaporated just as quickly in the third period. Simply put, Team Sweden must put its foot on the accelerator, not the brake, and work to close matches when it enters the knockout round.
The guilty one? Discipline.
In both matches, power-play goals accelerated the opposition’s comeback, and the Swedes simply could not withstand the Finns’ shock on Sunday. Similar results can be expected against other powerful hockey programs, especially in the medal rounds, unless they can tighten and avoid costly penalties in the late stages of the game.
Fourth-seeded Swedes are waiting for the knockout round
As previously mentioned, even with the loss, Team Sweden can be calm with the knowledge that they have secured a place in the tournament’s quarterfinals and avoid the qualifying round entirely while waiting for their opponent for Wednesday’s match. Tuesday’s qualifiers include Slovakia against Germany, Denmark against Latvia, the Czech Republic against Switzerland and Canada against China.
The Swedes are scheduled to play at 8:30 ET on Wednesday.
Team Sweden has been led by Wallmark, whose NHL experience really pays off. The 26-year-old center is a veteran from 187 games in the league and is currently in fourth place in the tournament with four points – all goals – in three games.
Defenders Jonathan Pudas and Henrik Tommernes are both in tenth place in the tournament with three assists each. Captain Anton Lander has two goals and an assist in three games.
Goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg, who did not play until the team’s second match in the tournament, is ranked sixth in the Olympics with 2.46 goals against the average (GAA) after making 63 saves on 68 shots, this during two matches. His save percentage of 92.65 percent (SV%) is also six.
Byeet in the qualifying round will do the Swedes good and let them get some much-needed rest before hits the ice again on Wednesday. Even though they do not yet know their opponent, one thing is clear: Team Sweden must clean up their late game if they hope to be on the podium for the first time since they took silver in 2014.
An avid hockey fan in the desert and proud Iowa State alum. Detroit Red Wings and Arizona Coyotes contributors to The Hockey Writers.